Spinning top with cord receiving groove



966 E. A. DAWSQN, JR 3,269,053

SPINNING TOP WITH CORD RECEIVING GROOVE Filed Feb. 10, 1964 INVENTOR.

EDWIN A DAWSON,JR.

United States Patent 3 269 053 SPINNING TOP WITH CURD RECEIVING GROOVE Edwin A. Dawson, In, Evanston, IlL, assignor to Donald F. Duncan lino, Evanston, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 10, 1954, Ser. No. 343,651 4 Claims. (CI. 46-67) The present invention is directed to new and useful improvements in spinning tops.

The major purposes of the present invention are to so form spinning tops that the string for the top is more easily attached to the top during the winding process, while thus assuring a tight winding of the string about the top, the string being so attached to the top as to facilitate release of the string after the top is thrown.

A related purpose of the invention is to enable simple manufacture of tops with string attaching facilities having the advantages aforementioned, While permitting economical manufacture thereof.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the ensuing specification and claims, when taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a spinning top in corporating the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken through a diameter of the top body of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top or plan view of the spinning top illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along a diameter of a portion of the spinning top illustrated in FIGURE 4.

Like elements are designated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

With particular reference now to the drawings, and in the first instance to FIGURE 1, a spinning top is generally designated at 10. As is more or less customary with spinning tops, it has a generally inverted conic form with the conic body 11 thereof terminating at a lower apex 12. The upper portion of the body is formed as a portion of reduced diameter so as the define a crown 13 at the uppermost portion of the body. Crown 13 has a flat upper surface 14, which extends transversely to the spinning or conic axis 15 of the top body. Crown 13 may include a rounded circumferential Wall 16 as illustrated most clearly in FIGURE 2.

A point 17 is mounted at the lower apex of the body. It may be mounted in a bore 18 formed coaxially with the axis 15 and extending throughout the length of the top body as is illustrated in FIGURE 2.

Spinning tops as thus described are oftentimes wound with a string 19, the one end of which is brought down along the side of the top body around the apex .12 and then wound about the lower portion of the top body.

In accordance with the invention, a groove is formed in the surface 14 of the crown of the body. This groove 20 extends across the spinning axis of the body and has a bottom wall 21 which is formed at a shallow inclination to the spinning axis of the body. The groove or slot 20 may extend from one side of the crown to the other in which case, as is particularly seen in FIGURE 2, the groove extends from a point 22 at the upper surface of the crown to a point 23 spaced therefrom, as at the juncture of the groove with the circumferential wall 16. At this juncture, the groove together with the circumferential Wall defines a shoulder. A string 19 may thus be positioned within the groove 21 with a knotted end 24 in abutting relation with the shoulder.

The inclination of the bottom wall of the groove 20 should be such that the string extends as close as possible ice to a perpendicular to the face of the shoulder provided at one end of the groove. At the same time the inclination should merge with the upper surface of the crown so as to allow a camming action by the upper edges of the groove on the string, after the top is thrown, commences to spin, and while the string is being unwound from the top. This camming action assures a good release of the string from the top.

The principles of the invention may also be incorporated through the variations illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5. In FIGURES 4 and 5, for example, the groove is formed across the upper surface of the crown but the shoulder 25 is provided at the juncture of the groove with the portion of the bore 18 in the crown of the top. The lowest point of the groove is at the bore 18. The groove slopes upwardiy from the bore at each side thereof to points of mergence with the upper surface.

In FIGURES 4 and 5, the inclination of the lower surface of the groove to the axis of the top is similar to that in FIGURES 1-3 inclusive. In FIGURES 4 and 5, the groove is shown as having a slightly curvilinear bottom wall, While the bottom wall of the groove in FIGURES l-3 is rectilinear. The grooves in FIGURES 4 and 5 or FIGURES 1-3 may be either curvilinear or rectilinear. Curvilinear grooves may be formed with a circular saw blade while rectilinear grooves may be formed with a milling cutter, straight saw blades in the form of FIG- URES 1-3 or by burning.

The groove should have a width slightly greater than the width of the Winding string so that the winding string is not frictionally held by the side walls of the groove. Through use of the string holding groove, securing of the string to the top body and winding of the string is more easily accomplished. A child may easily insert the string within the groove with the knot against the shoulder, and the direction of the groove directs the strong naturally along the body of the top and toward the apex thereof where the string is then wound in customary fashion. The string may be wound quite tightly which means a faster spin when the top is thrown.

The use of the string-holding groove is particularly advantageous for use with some spinning top tricks which require throwing of the spinning top in inverted relation. in these tricks, the top body inverts after it has been thrown, and in these cases the string is held generally perpendicular to the axis of the top. When the string is so held, it releases easily from the groove due to the camming action of the upper edges of the crown on the string, as the top rotates.

In other tricks for spinning tops, the string is pulled away from the top in a direction more nearly parallel to the axis of the top in which case, the string is released more readily, but the camming action aforementioned assures release of the string.

Whereas I have shown and described an operative form of the invention, it should be understood that this showing and description thereof should be taken in an illustrative or diagrammatic sense only. There are many modifications in and to the invention which will fall within the scope and spirit thereof and which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention should be limited only by the scope of the hereinafter appended claims.

I claim:

1. A spinning top including a spinning top body of generally inverted conic form, a pivot at the apex of the body at the lower .portion thereof, said body having an essentially flat surface extending transversely to the spinning axis of the body and defining a crown at the top portion of the body, said surface having a groove extending from one side of said surface toward the other side and in intersecting relation to said axis, the bottom of said groove being formed on a shallow angle with said surface, the uppermost portion of said groove terminating at a point flush with said surface, said groove having a lower portion spaced from said point, and means defining a shoulder at said lower portion of said groove whereby a winding string for said top may be positioned in said groove with a knot on said string held tautly against said shoulder.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said groove extends from one side of said top surface to the other.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said body has a bore extending along the axis thereof from the top to the bottom thereof, said shoulder being defined at a junction of said groove with the wall of said bore.

l 4. The structure of claim 3 wherein said pivot is received in the lowermost portion of said bore.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,535,157 12/1950 Radovan 467O 2,639,546 5/1953 Shockey 46-66 3,142,933 8/ 1964 Ruderian 46-65 FOREIGN PATENTS 205,926 10/ 1939 Switzerland.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SPINNING TOP INCLUDING A SPINNING TOP BODY OF GENERALLY INVERTED CONIC FORM, A PIVOT AT THE APEX OF THE BODY AT THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF, SAID BODY HAVING AN ESSENTIALLY FLAT SURFACE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY TO THE SPINNING AXIS OF THE BODY AND DEFINING A CROWN AT THE TOP PORTION OF THE BODY, SAID SURFACE HAVING A GROOVE EXTENDING FROM ONE SIDE OF SAID SURFACE TOWARD THE OTHER SIDE AND IN INTERSECTING RELATION TO SAID AXIS, THE BOTTOM OF SAID GROOVE BEING FORMED ON A SHALLOW ANGLE WITH SAID SURFACE, THE UPPERMOST PORTION OF SAID GROOVE TERMINATING AT A POINT FLUSH WITH A SURFACE, SAID GROOVE HAVING A LOWER PORTION SPACED FROM SAID POINT, AND MEANS DEFINING A SHOULDER AT SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID GROOVER WHEREBY A WINDING STRING FOR SAID TOP MAY BE POSITIONED IN SAID GROOVE WITH A KNOT ON SAID STRING HELD TAUTLY AGAINST SAID SHOULDER. 